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Jeff Wendorff's photography portfolio murres, guillemots, auklets, puffins, and murrelets in the family, Alcidae.

Auk Wiki
Apart from the extinct great auk, all auks are notable for their ability to "fly" under water as well as in the air. Although they are excellent swimmers and divers, their walking appears clumsy.

Auks are superficially similar to penguins having black-and-white colors, upright posture and some of their habits. Nevertheless, they are not closely related to penguins, but rather are believed to be an example of moderate convergent evolution. Auks are monomorphic (males and females are similar in appearance).

Although not to the extent of penguins, auks have largely sacrificed flight, and also mobility on land, in exchange for swimming ability; their wings are a compromise between the best possible design for diving and the bare minimum needed for flying.

Auk Photography Portfolio Includes these Species
Black Guillemot, Cepphus grylle
Common Murre, Uria aalge
Horned Puffin, Fratercula corniculata
Tufted Puffin, Fratercula cirrhata


Collective Noun Murres, Guillemots, Auklets, Puffins, and Murrelets
The collective nouns for a group of Auks is a colony, raft, loomery or of course a flock.
If you find a group of Murres or Guillemots, you should photograph them and call them a bazaar or a fragrance!

The colorful puffin has some equally unusual collective nouns including a burrow, a circus, a colony, an improbability and a puffinry.

Photography Workshops and Tours
I love photographing the Clowns of the Sea (Puffins), and I lead photography workshops that feature these cool birds. Check out my website, Wildlife Workshops, and find a bird photography workshop that is just right for you!
A pair of Black Guillemot (Juveniles) InteractingBlack Guillemot Calling in FlightCommon Murre, Uria aalgeCommon Murre, Uria aalgeCommon Murre, Uria aalgeHorned Puffin, Fratercula corniculataHorned Puffin, Fratercula corniculataBlack Guillemot Cepphus grylleBlack Guillemot Cepphus grylleBlack Guillemot Cepphus grylleBlack Guillemot Cepphus grylleTufted Puffin, Fratercula cirrhata. Also Crested PuffinTufted Puffin, Fratercula cirrhata. Also Crested PuffinTufted Puffin, Fratercula cirrhata. Also Crested Puffin